Life Happens!

Garden Log 5-28-19

Although it’s been a while since I last posted an update on my garden, the time hasn’t been spent lazing around. Life happens and in this case the long neglected yard work has taken precedence over gardening.

Years of neglect have allowed vines from the vacant lot next door to creep into my yard making clearing the leaves and mowing a long and tedious process. I’ll be posting some before and after pictures when the work is complete.

But in the interim a lot of the leaves I’ve cleared have helped to fill the raise planter bed and soon I’ll be placing container planted goodies on top of the leaves.

I still have seeds to plant. I know it is late in the season to be growing from seed, but this is a learning experience for me and I’ll be happy if I just get some tomatoes this year. Although some herbs would be nice but I’m sure it’s too late in the season to even get mature plants from the garden store.

I do have some nice growth from my tomato seeds unfortunately when I planted in the Solo cups I didn’t think it through and planted way too many in each cup. The seeds planted in the cups are doing much better than the seeds planted in the egg carton. I’m not sure what the science is behind it. Even though the seedlings in the cups are growing tall they are much heartier than the seedlings in the egg carton.

I would have thought that the carton seeds are getting much more light but they also have much less soil. I plan to wing it when it comes time to transplant the seedlings in the solo cups. I think I will transplant the carton seedlings into cups as well as soon as they get a second set of leaves.

I know I had planned to plant radishes…time got away from me but they grow fast. However it may be too hot for radishes now. I’ll only plant a few and save the rest for fall planting.

I’m eager to get my radishes planted, as well as start my green peppers.

In researching radishes, I’ve learned they have many medicinal properties, they are a natural diuretic and beneficial for kidneys, they have inflammatory properties and are apparently very beneficial for people with digestive disorders. Being an IBS sufferer this has me a little curious to see if it helps me.

I’ve learned a few things about planting and growing radishes. First they need very little nutrients, in fact the less nutrients the better. So with my depleted soil in the back yard this will make radishes a great crop for me to plant.

I’ve also learned that they like it cold. If the weather gets too hot they flower and produce seed. I plan to let a few go to seed and save them for the fall planting season. But the problem with them going to seed is if they do it too quickly the roots (radishes) don’t form properly and it also affects the taste.

The third thing I’ve learned is that radishes need to be close to the surface and uncrowded.

Lastly radishes grow fast. I’m anxious to get something growing that I can eat soon. So off to plant radishes I go.

I’ve staked out a spot in my back yard that is out of the way near a tree. I’ll till the soil a bit and put in some edging. I’m hoping that critters such as squirrels don’t dig them up. We will have to see what happens. I am planning to plant a few in a container as well to keep a better eye on them. I may build a cage around them. An old crab pot would be perfect! Oh well I’ll make due with what ever I have lying around.

Well best to get on with it. Thanks for coming back and following my crazy learning gardening journey. I’ll update you later today on the status of my beer/soda compost pile.

Happy gardening.